FORMER prime minister Kevin Rudd says he has been in contact with Peter Slipper following his resignation as speaker last week.

While Mr Slipper may have made mistakes, he needed support as personal attacks in federal parliament descended into a "turbo-charged ... toxic direction", Mr Rudd, a fellow Queenslander, said.

"I have been in contact with him in recent times in the last week or so," the Labor backbencher told ABC radio.

"I don't think you'd expect me to go into the details of those sorts of private conversations but I've been in Australian national politics long enough to know people are under extreme personal duress and at times like that, therefore, they have a need for some level of support from other folk around them."

Mr Rudd said other MPs needed to refrain from judging Mr Slipper, who resigned on October 9 after publication of his lewd text messages referring to female genitalia.

"For God's sake, let's remember that everyone out there is a human being. Everyone makes mistakes," he said.

"Some make really big mistakes, some make small mistakes but when the pressure is on, people are sorely affected by that."